Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Task Force announced that the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filing window for submitting broadband availability and other data as of June 30, 2023, opened on Monday, July 3, 2023. Facilities-based broadband service providers may begin to file in the BDC system data that reflects where they made mass-market broadband internet access service available as of June 30, 2023. Such entities, as well as providers of fixed voice services, must also submit the subscription data as of June 30, 2023 required under Form 477 in the BDC system.

Just as the Federal Communications Commission is launching the Learn Without Limits initiative to update E-Rate to better meet the connectivity needs of today and the future, the FCC's July 2023 Open Meeting will feature an opportunity to get a previous E-Rate reform over the finish line. Here are all the items we’ve lined up:

In May 2023, about three dozen Members of the House of Representatives wrote to the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to complete work on updating  Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM) and Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS), two universal service mechanisms that have been and remain critical to delivery of broadband in rural America. On June 20, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel replied to the letter noting that she had circulated a Report and Order for her colleagues’ consideration that would create the Enhanced A-CAM program.

The Federal Communications Commission committed nearly $29 million in a new funding round through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, which provides digital tools and services to support students in communities across the country. The commitment supports applications from the third application window, benefitting approximately 65,000 students nationwide, including students in California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announced the counties in which conditional forbearance from the obligation to offer Lifeline-supported voice service applies, pursuant to the Commission’s 2016 Lifeline Order. This forbearance applies only to the Lifeline voice obligation of eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that are designated for purposes of receiving both high-cost and Lifeline support (high-cost/Lifeline ETCs), and not to Lifeline-only ETCs.

Comments on the proposed modification of an existing system of records, FCC/OIG–3, Investigative and Audit Files are due July 26, 2023. The Federal Communications Commission uses the investigative and audit files contained in the records in this system to carry out its duties and responsibilities under the Inspector General Act of 1978. The modification changes the scope of this system of records to add new routine uses, to update the exemptions the FCC claims for this system and to make other changes.

I know the evolution of libraries as the place where the public goes for books to the place where the public goes for everything is creating new challenges as you address new needs. But we know millions of people in this country are on the wrong side of the digital divide. Libraries help fill that gap. You have computer labs. You teach digital skills.

The Federal Communications Commission announced an important update to its Mapping Broadband Health in America platform to incorporate maternal health data, enabling policymakers, public health experts, clinicians, researchers, innovators, and other public and private stakeholders to better explore the intersection of broadband and maternal health.

Access to clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the pricing of video services helps consumers make informed choices and encourages competition in the market. It does so by empowering consumers with information to comparison shop and to find the video programming services that best meets their needs and matches their budget. Consumers who choose a video service based on an advertised monthly price may be surprised by unexpected fees related to the cost of video programming that raise the amount of the bill significantly.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel circulated an order to her colleagues that would create the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) program to require deployment of 100/20 Mbps or faster service to all locations served by the program.